The True Dream Child
by TheFoolontheHill301
Summary: Dani Pierce meets Freddy Krueger and realizes he's her biological father. What happens when she realizes she'd rather use her new found power for revenge rather than defeating her demonic father?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Congratulations, it's a nightmare!**

Dani could feel herself nodding off to sleep. Her eyelids grew heavy once again and she switched positions, leaning heavily on her tight wooden school desk, desperate to stay awake. She knew if she fell asleep, terrible things would happen - Ms. Schillenger would send her to the principal, again. That would be the third time this week she'd fall asleep in class. If it happened again she'd be sent to the office and have to face Jack and Lillian when she got home. The guilt trip would be more than she could bear. Her foster parents would never punish her, their hearts were too big for their own good, but they sure had a way of making her feel bad.

Dani tapped her fingers absentmindedly on her desk as Ms. Schillenger blabbed on about their test on the Middle East they were having the next day. _"The capital of Syria, Damascus, is considered a strategic location because of what? It's location in relation to Iraq and the Untied Arab Emerates..."_ No wonder she was falling asleep in this class. None of this impacted her life at all, why should she care? As this thought passed through her mind, her eyelids drooped again, but she caught herself before falling onto the desk. Close one. She struggled in her seat again to try and find an uncomfortable position to distract her. She glanced around the room, observing her classmates and thinking her disgusted thoughts for each of them in turn.

Three seats up and two to the left, Brett Corner was slouched nonchalantly in his desk, spinning a pencil through his fingers. He laughed silently and Dani couldn't help but notice how attractive he was. His hair, a fair blonde, fell lazily over his eyes. He wore only the hippest clothes. Dark colours complimented his thin, pale frame and perfect skin. He was the devil reincarnated, out to make her life a living hell. All and any words he had for her were meant solely for her pain. How she hated him.

Brett was looking toward the seat two over from him in the front row. Her eyes flitted to the girl who was returning his smirk with a suggestive wink. Dani's skin crawled. Allison Sheppard was the essence of cool - or so thought the majority of the student body. She was treated like a goddess when she should have been tied to a pole upside-down until she died of all the blood rushing to her head. Of course, she and Brett were dating. They had to - rules of the upper social class. They were perfect for each other, apparently, and their favourite after school activity was to torture Dani. As the new girl, she didn't get much respect, but there were plenty of other things for them to choose from to dub her the social outcast. For one, she was adopted - not part of the close-knit "family" of the town. Two, she wore a lot of black - apparently that was a bad thing in Springwood. Three, she was completely oblivious to everything the kids in the school knew. They had secret codes and stories that she would never understand. Dani was the only student who hadn't been a member of the current junior class since Pre-K. She had practically no friends. No once would talk to her unless they had a hankering for destroying the self-confidence of the puny sixteen year old that day.

Her head dipped too close to the desk again it quickly snapped back up. This was ridiculous. Dani glanced into her partially open backpack for a water bottle or some kind of food. No luck. She squirmed again in her chair, leaning back as far as she could go, sliding her feet under the desk in front of her and hanging her head backward over the chair. She stared at the ceiling with a sardonic demeanor. It was white with tiny holes all through it. Each tile was identical to the next. They were complete carbon copies of each other. She could imagine the factory where they were created, practically hear the machines creating them, producing each identical piece of plaster. Her eyelids drooped again causing the ceiling to seemingly change shape before her eyes. She focused again and realized - it did change shape. She sat up suddenly and looked around. No longer was she in her classroom. The air was thick with smoke, the sound of machines echoed off the thick, hollow pipes. A mysterious red light glinted off of nearly every surface, including her skin. She stood slowly and moved forward, muttering a curse under her breath. She knew this place. She'd seen it before in her nightmares. It was a boiler room, where, though, she didn't know. Nor did she have any idea why she was here. But she knew every time she had a dream about this room the man with the claw came with it. She glanced around warily, searching for any movement. Nothing. She was seemingly alone. _"Dani..."_ She didn't jump. He'd said her name before, this was no surprise. "What do you want?" she said clearly, taking a deep breath and summoning her courage. She wasn't afraid of him, more annoyed that she was going to get in trouble for sleeping in class again.

A maniacal laugh filled the entire room. It seemed to come from every direction. _"I'm not important right now, Dani," _the man said in return. _"My only concern is what you want."_

"Oh, how kind of you," Dani spat with a growl. "But I'm not supposed to take help from strangers." The man laughed again. _"Alright then,"_ he said. _"Though, we're not really strangers. We've met before, if you don't remember." _Dani frowned deeper.

"Of course I remember," she said quietly. "You're the man with the claw." He was quiet now, the voice from above, he made no noise. She wasn't even sure he was still there. She considered for a moment trying to wake herself up, but she wasn't quite sure how. She turned to walk back to her desk, which she assumed was still there, but ended up face to face with-

"You."

The man smiled, baring his disgusting teeth to her. "Hello again, Dani," he said in a low voice. "About time we met - face to face." It was true she'd never been this close to him. It was only a week before when she began dreaming about him. He never did much but to scare her by mutating different things or setting things on fire. She'd only ever seen him from a distance. But now that she was looking at him close up she was thankful for the distance he kept before. His skin was completely burned and marled all over, his hat was tattered, his red and green striped sweater was burned and torn, and the amused, brainsick expression on his face sent shivers down her spine. At the moment, she could see no sign of his claw, but that gave her no comfort. She knew he had it somewhere and the anticipation of him holding it back wasn't doing wonders for her nerves. "Who are you?" she asked almost silently. Her voice was lost with her fear. The man smiled.

"My name is Freddy," he said calmly. His tone would seem almost polite if it weren't for his outer appearance and his assumed intentions. "And your name is Dani."

"How do you know that?" she asked quickly. "Who told you my name?"

Freddy smiled. "No one told me, my dear," he said civilly. "I know all my children."

"You're children?" she snapped back. "I don't belong to you." As soon as the words left her mouth she knew she shouldn't have said them. Freddy grabbed her by the neck and pulled her face up to meet his.

"All the children of Springwood belong to me," he growled. "This is my world." Dani closed her eyes. She couldn't stand to be so close to him. His breath smelled like death and his grip was tight, but she felt no real feeling of danger. He was a disturbing person to be so close to, but he sort of seemed like a big joke.

"You can't hurt me," she muttered. "You're just a dream."

"Oh really?" he snarled back. "If I were just a dream, could I do this?" Dani reluctantly opened her eyes and watched as Freddy pulled his right arm out from behind his back. His claw glinted in the red lights, making them look sharp enough to cut through her bones like butter. He thrust his hand forward, as to stab her through the stomach, but she caught his arm when the blades were but an inch from her. She kept her grip tight and Freddy automatically tightened the grip on her shirt.

"What the hell is this?!" he roared. Dani took his moment of confusion to knee him as hard as she could in the stomach. With a grunt, Freddy released her shirt and she landed on the iron grated floor with a _clang!_ Still holding his arm with her left hand, she looked down to see his claw was gone and only his hand was spread out before her. She glanced up at his face. He was as confused as she was, but he wasn't looking at his hand. He was staring intently at what seemed to be Dani's stomach. She looked down, not releasing her grip, to see a flash of metal near her hand. Quickly, she moved her arm, but the blades moved with it and she realized that the blades were not being controlled by Freddy, but herself. The girl raised her right hand and attached to it was the claw. She could see now that it was a glove, attached to a metal plate that held the four knives. How she ended up with the weapon, she had no idea. She posed, flourishing the razors like he does and glaring up at the man. Freddy's look of outrage and hatred shocked her so much that she automatically dropped his arm and took a step back. Abruptly, flames exploded around them, blocking every possible exit and keeping them within close range of each other.

"Give it back, you little shit!" he growled and moved forward to grab her. Automatically, Dani slashed the air in front of her with the glove. An outraged scream told her that she had hit him. She looked up to see Freddy, sweater slashed, blood dripping from his chest, glaring at her with glowing red eyes. She mustered up all her strength and lunged forward, claw out in front, about to stab him through the stomach when he yelled, "Dani!" in a woman's voice. She froze. That voice sounded so familiar...it gave her a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Dani Pierce!" The woman's voice cam again, not from Freddy this time. The two of them looked around. Someone was trying to wake her up.

"You die next time, bitch," he growled before everything turned black.


	2. Even a Killer has Something to Fear

**Chapter 2: Even a Killer has Something to Fear**

He just couldn't understand it. There was no way she could have stopped him. And why was she so...not scared? He could feel her...she wasn't threatened at all. Why was that? Surely, he scared her. Surely, she was going to spread the word he was back. Something drew him to her - he was certain she was the right one to bring him back. What other reason would there be? He couldn't think of any. But the encounter had just been so _bizarre_. Who was she?

Freddy shook his head. This wasn't right. He couldn't give so much thought to it. But how did she end up with his glove? He flexed his hand in front of his face, nearly nicking his nose with one of the blades. It was impossible. She couldn't have some sort of..._power_ over him, no no.

He stood up, raising his hand and running his claw along the pipe that hung unevenly over his head. He walked forward until he reached a staircase where he stopped and stared ahead into the darkness. She must be killed, if only because her attitude bothered him. She would have to sleep tonight; she was too tired to stay awake much longer. He would get her soon and then it wouldn't matter. Nothing about her would matter. She'd be gone, a distant memory in his overly-abused brain.


	3. You must be Dreaming

**Chapter 3: You must be Dreaming**

Dani flipped the page of her calendar. A large, grinning jack-o-lantern stared back at her. It was October already. It seemed hard to believe they'd been living in Springwood for five months now. She was promised the longer they stayed there, the happier she'd be. So far, this wasn't true. She frowned at the picture on her wall. The pumpkin seemed to be mocking her, laughing at her inability to find happiness. Dani slammed her fist over its face. What new hell would this month bring? In addition to these stupid nightmares, the kids in her class would surely find new opportunities to ridicule her. October brought Halloween. Halloween brought parties and pranks and fear. Surely the constant worry of monsters and ghouls wouldn't help her REM cycle. _"Dan?"_ A familiar voice called for her from the foot of the stairs. She couldn't help but grin. "C'mon up, Chris!" she shouted, pulling the door open to allow him to enter.

Of the entire population of Springwood High, Danielle Peirce had but one friend - Christian Perez. He was an average kid who got average grades and hung out with the comic book after school. To people like Brett and Allison, he was a social outcast like Dani. This is what happened to push them together, in fact, during the first week of summer. Christian was the only kid on the block to attempt to try and mentally prepare her for school in September. They were the only thing the other one had. This constant interaction brought them closer together. Dani found it astounding that a relationship could grow so strong in such a short amount of time. He knew nearly everything about her: her favourite foods, her favourite colour, her birthday, her best subject in school - all the little pointless bit of information you gather after really getting to know someone. More importantly, however, he was the only one, besides Jack and Lillian, that knew about her reoccurring nightmare and tonight he had agreed to stay over and keep her company - perhaps having someone else there would ease her brain and she'd be able to get a good night's sleep.

"You know your mom is making cookies shaped like pumpkins downstairs?" Christian asked as he walked into the room, carefully stepping over a pile of clothing located directly in front of the door. "They're ginger. They have spice filling." He grinned sheepishly at her and she giggled.

"You can have the whole tray when they're finished, I promise," she said sarcastically. Christian soon gave up on stepping over the piles of junk on the floor and decided to launch himself onto the bed with Dani.

"So, you want me to stay with you because of this nightmare?" he asked, finding a magazine on the bedside table and flipping through its pages.

"If it's alright with you," she replied, twisting her sheets around her fingers. "I thought maybe if I had company then I could sleep better. I'll just take a little cat nap. That should get me through to the weekend I think. Then maybe the pressure from school can go away and I can get some real sleep." Christian laughed, tossing the magazine to the floor and reaching for the tv remote.

"No prob," he said flipping the tv on. "I'll just watch some tv and you can take your nap, though I'm not sure this is the healthiest thing in the world." He frowned at the cooking show on the screen and changed the channel until he landed on some old looking horror movie from the fifties. Dani shifted positions so that she was hugging her pillow close to her chest.

"I know it's not healthy," she mumbled into her pillow. "But these stupid dreams are giving me the creeps. I always think something is going to pop out at me in the dark or something, you know?"

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Dani began to get steadily sleepier as the sound of corny screams echoed from the tv. The sound began to seem so distant, but she was yanked back into reality when Christian spoke.

"You know, I was giving it a lot of thought," he said tapping his fingers on the remote. The slight movement immediately reminded her of Freddy's claw, but she pushed the idea out of her head. "Why don't you try to get rid of whatever's in your dreams?" She still hadn't told him about Freddy. She couldn't bring herself to talk about him out in the open. Somehow, she thought, it might bring him to life, out into the real world. "If you try to imagine the scary thing as something funny it might go away. Or...or I saw this documentary once, on the REM cycle and dreams and shit, and it said that nightmares are related to stress and things that frighten you when you are awake. Maybe you can find whatever's bothering you in your life and-"

"But that's just the thing," Dani interrupted with a yawn. "I've never seen this gu- _thing_ before. It just came out of nowhere."

"Hmm..." Christian stroked his invisible beard. "Perhaps you should try facing it though. Tell it it's not real." Dani grumbled in discontent.

"I tried that..." she muttered with a frown.

"Well try again! You know it's not real. Whatever's causing will eventually fix itself. I'm sure it's just the pressure from school or something." He brushed her short, strawberry blonde hair from her face. "Get some sleep before you drive yourself crazy," he said with a smile. "When you don't sleep, your body poisons itself, and I wouldn't mind keeping my friend, thank you." Dani giggled quietly and shut her eyes. Christian would wake her up if she looked like she was having a nightmare. She was safe here with him.

A second later, she heard a noise in the distance. A screeching coming from the tv. She opened her eyes and gasped aloud. She was in the boiler room again. Abruptly, she sat up, ready for the worst. Had she even fallen asleep? So quickly? Another loud screech told her yes, she had fallen asleep. She hopped out of the bed and stood with her back to the wall, surveying all other parts of the room. "Where are you, Freddy?" she muttered to herself.

"Right here," a voice said so low and close she could feel his breath on her ear.

"Shit."


	4. Are You Ready For Freddy?

**Chapter 4: Are You Ready For Freddy?**

Freddy snickered in her ear. "Nice to see you again too," he said with a grin. Then she made a run for it. The girl ducked under his arm and jumped right over the railing. He smiled. It was so much more fun when they struggled.

He jumped, landing directly in front of the girl. She skidded to a stop, crashing right into his chest. He wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her face close to his. "Just so ya know," he said with a smirk. "I'm gonna kill ya." The girl squirmed a bit and he tightened his grip. A laugh escaped his lips. "But I want you to tell me first...how did you get my glove?"

The girl stopped struggling. Her eyes grew wide and she stared up to him with a suddenly blank expression. A bizarre wave of déjà vu swept over him as he looked at her. Her bright blue eyes and strawberry hair reminded him of someone. "I don't know..." she muttered in a daze. He flicked one of his blades along her neck, leaving a tiny drop of blood to fall to the floor. He was so entranced at this point by her familiar features, however, that he paid no attention to this. Memories were coming back to him now. Fifteen years ago. There was another girl...

She squirmed and once again he tightened his grip. "Who is your mother?" he demanded suddenly. She stopped struggling.

"I don't know," she barked at him. "I was adopted. I never knew my parents." Taking his claw, he carefully took a handful of her hair and pulled her face upward into the light. Suddenly, the connection was made and he nearly dropped her when he realized who she looked like. "What the hell are you doing to me?" she asked, kicking him pitifully in the leg. He remained silent for a moment before tossing her to the floor indifferently. He began to pace before her. "This is impossible," he muttered to himself. It was inconceivable. No wonder she had the upper hand last time.

Suddenly, he turned on her, raising his claw in the air. It was time to stop this. He flicked his blades, willing the pipe above the girl to drop onto her crumpled body. With an _oof!_ she was pinned to the floor. "Dani..." he said, approaching the wriggling body. "I only wish we could have had more time together." Her eyes grew wide as the blades neared her neck.

"Please don't..."

Freddy stopped. He wasn't sure why. She should have been dead by now. _Just kill her already!_ he told himself urgently. If Dani was indeed who he though she was, then perhaps he could use her to his advantage. She was an outcast. She would love nothing more than to be taken under the wing of a powerful figure. He could tell, she would love the idea of revenge.

But his hypothesis was insane. There was no way this could be her. This little freak of nature? He stared into her eyes and she stared straight back. In the reflection of her pupils he could see himself, scowling down at her. She wasn't afraid now because she could see clearly. There was no mistake. They had the same eyes.

As if shocked, he stood up. Uncertainly, he took a few steps back. Everything was clear now. Her attitude, her look, her power...this was horrible. He thought she was dead. "Alice..." he mumbled, shaking his head and still backing up. The girl continued to fight against the pipe pressing on her. It was crushing her lungs. Without thinking, he waved his hand in her direction and the pipe flew off, freeing her from her prison. "Wake up, Dani," he said looking intently at the floor. "Get out."


	5. Terror Beyond your Wildest Dreams

**Chapter 5: Terror Beyond Your Wildest Dreams**

Dani sat up straight in bed. Frantically, she glanced around the room, trying desperately to get an idea of what was going on. Christian was beside her, snoozing peacefully. The tv was still running, though whatever movie had been on when she fell asleep was now over and Rain Man was playing. She sighed and shook her head, tightening her grip on her pillow. This was by far the most bizarre dream she'd had. It was insane how real in all seemed. She could nearly feel the pain in her back from being crushed by the pipe. And the scratch on her neck hurt as if she'd really been cut. To reassure herself, she reached up and gently held the side of her neck. She pulled back swiftly when she felt something wet and immediately began to examine her hand. She was bleeding.

It was impossible. She must have cut herself somehow while she was sleeping. She rolled into her table or something. But any harsh movements would have woken Christian up. And her nightstand was on the other side of the bed. She shook the tears out of her eyes. This was impossible.

"Christian, Christian, wake up," she said, shaking him roughly. Her eyes landed briefly on the clock. It was 1:30. She had been asleep for six hours? "Oh, Chris, get up," she whined, shaking him again. Slowly, he regained consciousness.

"What's up, Dan?"

"I had another nightmare. This one was real weird. Did you feel me rolling around or anything? Tell me."

Christian sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said, holding his hands up in a defensive position. "Slow down. Rolling around? No. You were sleeping peacefully so I left you alone. I guess I dozed off myself. But I would have woken you up if I felt you freaking out." Dani sighed, resting her chin on her pillow. "Was it that bad?" he asked with a sympathetic sigh. She nodded. "Did you try what I said? About telling it that it wasn't real?" She nodded again. "Well, did it do anything?" She shook her head. Then, for a few moments, silence.

"You wanna talk about it?" Christian asked quietly. Dani shook her head again and buried her face in her pillow to hide the fresh flow of tears. "Things'll get better in the morning," Christian said, rubbing her back lightly. "I promise."

--

The next morning things did not get better. As expected, Brett and his gang of football-playing, cheerleader-dating, perfect-haired friends decided to get into the Halloween spirit by picking on Dani all morning long. "Happy Halloween," Christian muttered as he split from Dani to go to his class just before the gang met up with her.

"Well, look what we have here," Brett jeered as he approached. His goons laughed stupidly in the background. Dani sighed and attempted to push past them to her locker. She managed, though not without them all following. "Into the Halloween spirit yet, Dani?" he asked at an obnoxious volume. She remained silent. She would do nothing to encourage his behavior. He would get no response from her. "Here in Springwood, we have a Halloween tradition," Brett continued. His goons laughed again. "We like to go to the cemetery on Halloween night and summon the Springwood Slasher." Dani rolled her eyes. How ridiculous were they? The Springwood Slasher? Really. "Oh, you don't know who he is, do you?" No, and she really didn't give a shit, that was clear. Did this stop him from continuing? No. "His name was Fred Krueger. The man with the claw. He used to rape and kill the children of this town until one day all the parents torched him, and now his ghost comes back to haunt kids in their dreams."

Dani froze. A million thoughts ran through her head. How did he know? She hadn't told anyone, not even Christian. Slowly, she turned to face him. "How do you know that?" she asked wearily, speaking to him for the first time. He grinned deviously.

"Oh, I got you scared now girl."

This had to be the man she was dreaming about. The Springwood Slasher. Freddy Krueger.

_My name is Freddy. _

He had told her himself.

Abruptly, she turned and charged down the hallway towards her class. After school she'd ask Christian about Freddy. It was time he learned what was haunting her dreams.

The last thing she heard as she turned the corner was the echoing laughter of Brett. It was almost as frightening as Freddy himself.


	6. It's Krueger Freddy Krueger

**Chapter 6: It's Krueger... Freddy Krueger**

They sat in the car in silence. Christian absentmindedly tapped his fingers to the music coming from the radio. Dani debated weather or not to bring up the dream. She felt completely stupid, but the curiosity was killing her.

"Who's Freddy Krueger?" she blurted out, her hands tightening unnecessarily on the steering wheel. Christian switched off the music.

"Who told you that name?" he asked darkly.

"Brett."

Christian shifted uneasily in his seat. "He's an old legend in Springwood. A myth. Nothing to worry about." She didn't believe him for a second. He knew something that he wasn't telling her.

"Chris. Tell me about him. It's important." Christian looked over to her. "Please…he's…" She hesitated. She was still reluctant to tell him any specifics about her dreams. But Christian knew all about it most likely, if it was a town legend. He knew everything about Springwood, he was the one who taught her how to get around. "He's been in my nightmares, I think." Christian looked puzzled for a moment, and then fear filled his face. It was shocking seeing his reaction change so violently. He didn't say anything for a moment. Dani didn't push him, she could tell he was thinking hard about something.

Finally, he sighed. Dani thought he must have wanted to say a million things to stop her from knowing, but the only words he said were, "Please don't think I'm crazy." She nodded reverently. Christian sighed loudly then spoke, "I grew up in Springwood, you know. My family's been here for five generations. My poppy would tell me about this man, Freddy, who used to work in the power plant at the edge of town. He told me how Fred would molest and kill the children of Springwood. The parents decided to get revenge on Freddy. They set fire to the basement of the plant where he was hiding. Legend has it that Krueger sold his soul to the devil before he died in exchange for immortality and the power to control dreams. Now he comes back to get revenge on the children and grandchildren of all who have ever attempted to kill him." Dani frowned deeply.

"And do you believe in this legend?" she asked quietly.

"Frankly, yes, I do." Christian nodded contently, his face still slightly twisted from shock. Dani shook her head. She couldn't believe it. It was too implausible. No one could come back from the dead. Dreams couldn't kill you.

"I don't believe it," she said. "And I don't get how you could either. Listen to how ridiculous you sound." Christian looked over to her, a strange glint of hurt in his eyes.

"Because Freddy killed my mom, that's how."


	7. Blast from Your Past

**Chapter 7: Blast from your Past**

Guilt pounded her in the stomach. "Oh…Christian…I'm so sorry…" She avoided his gaze. Dani had known Christian's mom wasn't around, but it had never really occurred to her where exactly she was. But to tell her that Freddy, a stupid dream myth from town had actually killed her? Wasn't he pushing this a little too far.

It was impossible for him to be right. Krueger couldn't be real, there was no way. He may have, at one point, been a child molester, but people couldn't come back from the dead and…manipulate people's dreams. "How…how do you know that?" she asked.

"My grandfather told me," he said staring intently at the steering wheel. He looked up at her suddenly. "I'm not crazy. My dad thinks so too, but he won't admit it." Dani must have looked taken aback, because Christian backed off almost immediately. "I'm sorry, it's just…it sounds insane to me too and I've never told anyone before…"

"It's okay, Chris," Dani said, putting a hand on his arm. "You don't have to worry. I don't think you're crazy."

They drove in silence all the way to Christian's house. Dani couldn't think of anything to say. Her mind was burning with more questions about Krueger, but she felt as if she was prying into Christian's personal life if she asked. She was torn between belief and non-belief. The story was ridiculous, but the coincidence was just so extraordinary that it was hard not to believe.

When they pulled into the driveway, Mr. Perez was retrieving the mail. He waved to them and started over as soon as they were out of the car. Dani had always like Mr. Perez. He was a smart, funny man with wit and infinite knowledge that he loved to share. He worked as a historian for a museum outside of Springwood, but did most of his work at home, so they saw plenty of him.

"How was school today, guys?" Dani gave him a big smile.

"Just fine, thanks, and life at the Museum?" Mr. Perez laughed, the wrinkles on his face, left from over-smiling, making him look older than he really was.

"It was wonderful, Dani, thank you." He stopped in front of them. Still slightly shaken from the conversation in the car, the two of them looked a little wind-blown. "How about I make you two a pot of tea? It'll calm your nerves. School seems to be ripping you apart lately."

Gladly, they walked inside, the thoughts of Kruger only a miniscule nagging voice in the back of her mind. They sat down and waited for the tea, joking about the Halloween décor around town and wondering about the Halloween dance at school. Mr. Perez served them lemon flavoured tea with biscuits on the side and the three of them ate and drank in content as the conversation turned to school again.

"School wasn't nearly as insane in my day," Mr. Perez said with a giggle. All these after school activities didn't exist. We had the chess club, the sports teams, and cheerleaders, that's it. They kept it nice and simple for us." They all laughed. Mr. Perez put his mug down on the table and looked at Dani for a moment. He bit his lower lit lightly, a thing he and Christian both did when they were trying to figure out a puzzle.

"You know, Dani," he said in his "teacher-like" voice. Dani smiled knowingly. He always took this tone when he was about to tell her that whatever she was doing, her life would probably be better off without. "I don't think you know this," he continued, "but you look an awful lot like my friend Alice from school." Dani smiled politely, but not a second later, the smile was wiped off her face and replaced with a look of sheer terror.

"_Alice…"_

That was the girl he had mentioned.

"_Who's you mother?!"_

She didn't know.

Dani jumped out of her seat. "Please, Mr. Perez, do you think you have a picture of this…this Alice? I mean…" She tried to calm herself down. "I mean, I'd like to see her. I think it's strange…not many people have my hair colour…" Her excuse was lame. Christian, she knew, would interrogate her about this later, when his father was not in the room. Mr. Perez stood awkwardly, watching Alice as if she might attack him, and crossed the room to a bookcase full of his old reference books. He took out a thick velvet coloured one and opened to the first page.

"There she is," he said, pointing to a picture in the book. "The one in the funny glasses." They all wore purple robes. It looked like a graduation picture, but Dani didn't recognize Mr. Perez as any of the boys in the picture. She focused her attention to the girl named Alice. Well, she certainly had Dani's strawberry hair, that was for sure. "Here's another…" he pointed to a picture on the next page. It was a close-up of two girls. Dani now recognized the one on the right as Alice. It was frightening, the resemblance. They both had the same eyes and hair and smile. Dani's insides froze. Could this girl really be her mother? Like Freddy had said? She looked at the other girl in the picture. She was also in the graduation picture, being held by a scrawny boy and wearing dark sun glasses.

"Who is this?" Dani asked curiously, pointing to the girl.

Mr. Perez smiled at the picture. "That's Yvonne," he said with a laugh. "My wife, Christian's mother. Isn't she beautiful in that picture?" Dani nodded sternly.

"Why are they in the picture together?"

"They were best friends all through high school and college."

Dani read the caption under the picture. In tiny gold type it had two names: Yvonne Minter and Alice Johnson.


	8. The Mysterious Crashing Blimp

**Chapter 8: The Mysterious Crashing Blimp**

"Do you think I could meet her?" Dani asked vaguely. She was almost certain that he would say no. The picture looked like it was taken ages ago. And, in keeping with the theme of the day, Dani oddly found it most likely that Alice was already dead.

"No," said Mr. Perez, confirming Dani's thought. "She died a few years ago, but no one knows why." Dani looked up at Mr. Perez, the image still imprinted in her mind.

"What do you mean 'no one knows why'? She can't just die for no reason, right?" Did Freddy kill without and indication as to what happened? After all, if you get cut in the dream world, it can't happen in real life, even if you can feel it. Could Freddy have killed this girl, too? Mr. Perez sighed.

"Well, I am sure people know, but I was never told. Alice was Yvonne's friend, really, not mine. We didn't know each other very well. There were rumors she was murdered…" Dani took a deep breath. "…but I think it's harsh to say murder. I mean…the doctors were doing all they could to help her through it." She did a double take. To help her through what? Mr. Perez must have seen the puzzled look on his face because he continued. "She died giving birth. Probably loss of too much blood. They said the baby had some trouble getting out, but nothing they had never seen before. That's why it's so strange that they lost her." Dani nodded faintly.

"What happened to the baby, Dad?" asked Christian and Dani jumped slightly. She'd practically forgotten he was there. He had remained silent for the last few moments, probably having heard all this information before.

"I don't know what happened to it…I suppose it went to it's father once Alice passed away. I never knew the man, though, so I couldn't even tell you what he looked like." Dani thought about this. Something wasn't adding up.

"I thought Yvonne and Alice were good friends," she said slowly. "So…would you have kept in touch with Alice through the ye-"

"Yvonne had passed away by that time," Mr. Perez said slowly. "And Alice had moved away, uncomfortable with Springwood since…since high school…" He stopped speaking and again bit his bottom lip. "You see, Alice and Yvonne had a hard time in High School. A lot of their friends died in accidents right after graduation and…the memories haunted Alice after Yvonne…passed on…so she left. And she didn't keep in touch with anyone in Springwood, she just left. She and her five year old son, Jacob." So Alice had other children?

"Who took care of Jacob when she died? Did he have a different father? Why didn't his father take the bab-" Mr. Perez held up his hand to silence her. Dani's face went red with embarrassment and she slumped in her chair. She was really delving into personal stuff here. She hadn't realized how rude she was being.

"It's quite alright," Mr. Perez said soothingly. "I don't know who took care of little Jacob. His father was Alice's high school sweetheart who had died in a car accident right after graduation. Perhaps that baby's father took him in? Or perhaps the Springwood orphanage has some record of him living in an orphanage within the state? He would be on his own now, of course, he'd be at least twenty-one, right?" Dani nodded.

They thanked Mr. Perez for everything and headed out in Christian's truck. "Alice has something to do with my nightmares," she said absentmindedly as Mr. Perez's information ran through her mind. If she was Alice's baby, then where was the dad? Why didn't she live with him? Did he not want her? Where was Jacob?

"I knew you were thinking that, but there's not connection between them," said Christian, stopping at a red light. This was true. Alice didn't even live in Springwood. She left right after Yvonne's death…

"But…Yvonne was killed by Freddy right?" Dani flinched, remembering that this was Christian's mother they were talking about, but Christian answered in a perfectly normal tone, if not determined.

"Yes, but so what? Alice wasn't killed by Freddy, went away to some other town, remember?"

"Yea, but why? Why did she leave? Because her friends were all killed in high school? By what? A crashing blimp?! No! By Freddy!" Dani was really excited now. She was turned in her seat to face Christian, her heart pounding. "Maybe…maybe Alice's boyfriend wasn't in a car accident. Maybe…maybe Freddy killed him while he was in the car. And then after college, Freddy killed Yvonne too, so Alice ran away, thinking she was safe from Freddy, but she died anyway-"

"Are you suggesting Freddy killed her while she was giving birth?" Christian said with a snort. "He can only get to you in your dreams, and I'd think it would be kinda hard to take a cat nap when you're birthing a child." This was also true. Then perhaps she really did die giving birth. That doesn't mean all the others weren't his victims…

"Tomorrow we'll go to Springwood orphanage," she said with a sigh. "I need to find out about Jacob." Dani hated the Orphanage. She had spent every other year of her life there since birth. She had gone through more sets of foster parents than any other kid in the world, but for some reason, they just kept dying which was the exact reason she didn't bother ever getting close to them. And Jack and Lillian were no exception.


	9. Daddy's Home

**Chapter 9: Daddy's Home**

Christian dropped her off at her house after nightfall. The air was chilly as she crossed her front yard and stepped onto the porch. As soon as she opened the door, she could feel a blast of warm air. It felt good on her wind-stung face. "Good evening, Dani," said Jack politely. Dani liked Jack too. He wasn't as resourceful as Mr. Perez, but he was just as nice. He reminded her of Mr. Rogers, except he hated sweaters and he worked in a library. "Hi, Jack," Dani said with a forced smile. She had to be nice to these people. They were letting her live in there house and eat their food. Even though they consider her their daughter, Dani didn't fall for it. But she smiled and played nice with them. The way she saw it, they'd probably be dead soon anyway. "How were school and Christian?" Dani smiled and gave two thumbs up before heading to the kitchen.

"Is Lillian home yet?" Lillian was equally as nice as Jack. They were an older couple, and not as strict, so Dani could pretty much do anything she wanted…not like she lived on the edge or anything. Lillian was a nurse and sometimes took the night shift so Dani could go without seeing her at days at a time.

"No, she's still at work," Jack shouted from the other room.

"Alright, well, I'm off to bed, night." Dani headed up the stairs, made a left, and entered her room, shutting the door behind her. Her room was exactly as it had been the night Christian stayed over. She never made her bed, or cleaned her room, so there were stupid things scattered around the floor and her sheets were tangled up into a twisted knot. She flopped onto her bed and, as soon as she hit the mattress, she realized just how sleepy she was. She started thinking about the weekend and how she wouldn't have to do anything but hang out with Christian and how tomorrow they were going to go to that orphanage and figure out this while mystery…

"Oh no you're not."

Dani's eyes flung open and she saw none other than Freddy standing right over her. She sat up, expecting the cold, hard surroundings of the boiler room, but was shocked to see they had not left her room this time. At least…she thought it was her room. The bed was still there, but the walls were a dark blue colour, like they were all hidden in a shadow, and the whole room seemed to be melting…

"What do you mean 'oh no you're not'?" she demanded, her stomach sick with fear. Freddy's eyes tightened.

"You're not going to that orphanage tomorrow, Dani," he said with a glare. "There's nothing to find there." Dani stood up and walked over to the edge, stepping down onto the chest at the foot of her bed. She leaned over to him so they were eye to eye. "All villains say that sort of stuff," she said. "That means there really is something there I need to know." Freddy frowned, making his face look even uglier, if that was possible.

"I meant," he said in a low growl. "If you wanted to know something, why don't you just ask me?" Dani stepped back, shocked at this comment, and sat down on the bed, wondering why she hadn't thought to do that in the first place. She felt a tiny bit calmer now.

"Err…did you kill Alice Johnson?" Freddy scowled at her.

"No I didn't. She died on her own. She killed herself." Dani wasn't expecting this answer either, and she was glad she was sitting when he said it.

"What do you mean? She died giving birth…"

"Because she bribed the doctor to drug her so much that she died in the middle of the operation." Freddy still hadn't moved from the spot.

"But…but wouldn't they find the drugs in the autopsy-"

"They didn't do an autopsy. They assumed it was loss of blood from the delivery." Dani leaned her head on her fist.

"But why would she do that." Freddy smiled at this. It was a disturbing, sick smile. It turned Dani's insides to ice.

"She was a coward, that's why," he said loudly. "She was a coward and she didn't want to have to protect _two_ children from me. That would be much too hard. She knew I'd win in the end anyway. She didn't want two kids. She tried to get an abortion, but the father wouldn't let her. She thought that baby was a disgusting creature and she wanted it gone. She wanted you gone, Dani." Dani jumped up at this.

"Me?!" Her heart was pounding again. Freddy was obviously very pleased with her reaction, for he smiled again. Dani wanted to shout 'I knew it!' at the top of her lungs, but she was just so shocked that no more sound came out. She plopped back onto the bed. Why would Alice hate an innocent child that much to kill herself, leave her only son, just to get away from it. To get away from _her_. She couldn't understand it. When she found her voice Dani, who had an infinite number of questions to ask, chose the most selfish one first.

"Why did my father not let her have an abortion," She feared her eyes were going to well with tears. "If he wanted me so badly, why did he stick me in an orphanage?" She suddenly glared up at Freddy. "Or did you kill him to?!" Freddy chuckled.

"No, I didn't," he said finally moving and walked around the bed to look at Dani straight on. "I told her not to kill you because I thought I could use you later."


	10. Their Satanic Majesties Request

**Chapter 10: Their Satanic Majesties Request**

Dani choked, barely able to look at Freddy at all. _He_ told her not to have the abortion. The father told her not to…that meant…Freddy… No, it couldn't be. That was impossible. Freddy was dead, just a figment of the imagination. He wasn't real, so how could he get anyone pregnant? Dani turned around and let out a dry sob as she vomited over the side of the bed. Freddy stopped smiling. "No…no I don't believe this," Dani said wiping her mouth on the covers. "This…this can't be real." She turned on him. "You sick bastard, why would you tell me that?" She was shaking now. Freddy's eyebrows shot up in a puzzled yet comical expression.

"Tell you that I was your father? You asked, so I told you." He watched her carefully for a few seconds. "I'm not lying, you little shit, if that's what you're thinking. And you shouldn't push your luck, I'm still gonna kill you."

"Then do it already!" Dani screeched at him, causing him to back up a bit. "You wouldn't kill your own daughter, if you would then you'd just do it and not keep talking about it!" Freddy's face screwed up in rage. He moved forward and grabbed her around the throat, forcing her onto the bed.

"Just because we're related doesn't mean your safe from death, bitch! I killed my daughter once before, and nothing's different now." Dani struggled to get away, but without success. She slumped back on the bed and stopped moving. She was going to die here. She knew it. Freddy was pissed off now and she was going to pay for it. She tried to hold his gaze and saw that his eyes were the same colour as hers. Not the same shape, like Alice's, but the same cold blue colour.

And suddenly, Dani remembered the day that she fell asleep in class. She had the glove. She had used it to protect herself, taken it from Freddy…but how had she gotten it? It had just appeared there on her hand. "Wait," she said in a struggled voice. Freddy continued to stare at her. "If I'm your daughter then…then can't I control dreams to? I mean…can't I do what you do?" Freddy laughed. He laughed so hard he let go of her throat and rolled back to sit on the bed across from her.

"Why do you care?" he asked, obviously amused.

"Well," started Dani, trying to word her sentences right. "I had your claw that day, right? So…so I can manipulate dreams?"

"Anyone can," he said, suddenly very interested in his glove. "You just have to know how. Not many people can keep a lever head in a nightmare with me, so it's easy for me to take control." He looked over at Dani. "If you believe your have the power, then you _do_." Dani nodded.

"Right so…you said…you thought you could use me…how?" Freddy looked at her strangely, as if he'd never seen anything quite like her.

"Well…you're alive. You can exist in the real world. I'm stuck in the dream world. If you learned how to work this world, you'd be unstoppable." A greedy look filled his eyes. "I know how the kids torture you, Dani," he said darkly. "Haven't you ever wanted your revenge on them?" Dani thought about Brett and Allison and all their stupid friends and how much she hated them. "Let me tell you," continued Freddy. "They have something big planned for Halloween. Something huge and you're their favourite subject." He chuckled. "Do you really want them to still be around once Halloween arrives?"

"What are you suggesting, I kill them? I'll get arrested and put away into some…insane asylum!" Was Freddy really going to try and convince her to commit murders in the small town of Springwood where everyone known everything that's going on? She'll be thrown in the loony bin in an instant.

"You don't need to get caught," he answered, shaking a clawed finger in the air. "All you need to do is to be asleep at the same time as them."

"Why can't you do it?" she demanded. "If you want them dead so bad, then why don't you kill them?" Freddy looked scornful. He stood up from the bed and began pacing all around the room.

"They've turned me into a joke," he said angrily. "They've turned me into a stupid town myth. That's just what the parents wanted too. I can't come back if nobody's afraid of me!" He turned on Dani. "You've gotta make 'em afraid. You gotta kill 'em and frame me for it. Bring back my legacy. The obnoxious, hard-assed kids of Springwood are going to pay for torturing us all these years."

The thought should have occurred to Dani that he was using her to bring himself back, but she was just so enticed by the idea that she didn't care. She jumped up and crossed the room to him. This idea of power was just too attractive. Finally, all the times they through Dani in a trashcan or framed her for clogging the toilets or beat her up outside of school…they were going to pay. Those kids had no respect for their lives at all, so why should they deserve one? A little bit frightened, but excited by the fantasies she was now dreaming up, Dani put her hand out to shake his.

She was wearing the glove again. Her arm was covered in a thick, red and green striped fabric. She looked at her body which was completely clad in stripes from the waist up. "Do we have a deal then?" he asked her in a sly voice. With a sharp nod of the head and a tightly-gripped handshake Dani could feel something inside her changing. She finally had a purpose. She had something to look forward to for the first time in her life. It was a wonderful, obsessive feeling. She smiled eagerly at Freddy, who grinned back. They were going to have one hell of a ride.


End file.
